We Have Each other
by Aedien
Summary: The members of Team 10 are having a tough time dealing with the loss of someone precious. They refuse to talk about it, so Tsunade decides to send their friends to help. Unless you're up to date on the manga beware of major spoilers.
1. The hardest missions

AN: I tried to make this as plausible as possible, but this really started because I liked the chemistry that seems to flow between Ino and Naruto; yes this will be a NaruIno! I hope it's not too bad so far; it's not as happy as I had thought it would be... It kind of ended up on a tangent to but I like it so I hope you'll all bear with me. I just adore the Tsunade/Naruto relationship.

Please note once again that this does contain significant spoilers. If you are not up to date on the manga you might want to hold off on this one. The Shippuuden anime hasn't gotten to this part yet, so please don't rely on that.

Naruto walked along the streets of Konoha; he weaved among the usual traffic of civilians going about their daily routine. He sighed as he looked at the sling where his right arm rested, swathed in layers of bandages.

'It's been a really long week.' he frowned as he thought of his friends in team 10, 'It must be worse for them.'

He turned a corner and plunged back into the crowd of busy shoppers; as he walked he thought back to how he had ended up in his current situation:

He had awoken that morning to someone banging on his door.

He rolled over trying to ignore the racket the person was making, hoping they would get the point and go away. He had lain in bed for a full five minutes, glaring at his ceiling while whoever was outside continued to pound on the door relentlessly.

'I'm not on duty. There is no way in hell I'm getting out of bed until I'm good and ready.'

There had been a moment of silence, but he didn't get a chance to relax because the knocking continued on his bedroom window making the curtains tremble with each blow. Naruto glared in the direction of the noise.

'Persistent aren't we?'

"Uzumaki-san! Uzumaki-san! Please get up! Godaime-sama wants to see you!"

There was a moment as the voice waited for a response, "Uzumaki-san!!"

Naruto growled in frustration as he flung the curtains aside and slammed the window open, "Fine! I'm up! What the hell does she want!?"

The dark-haired Kunoichi jumped at the sudden response; Naruto had never really been a morning person, but his years with Jiraiya had magnified the problem and now he was downright cranky when he was awoken before he damn well felt like it. Constant late-night excursions tended to make one protective of one's downtime.

The girl quickly composed herself; steeling her heart against the frightening glare she was receiving from the disheveled blond, "I'm sorry, I don't know Uzumaki-san. She just told me that she wanted to see you."

Naruto turned away from the younger ninja and rubbed his eyes with his good hand, "Can't it wait? I'm on medical leave."

The girl shook her head, "No, she told me to make sure you come now."

Naruto sighed and sat up in bed, "Fine, fine. Tell her I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

"Sorry, she told me to stay and escort you to her office." Naruto raised an eyebrow at her, "She said that she didn't want you to 'blow me off and go back to sleep'."

Naruto groaned and rolled his eyes, 'She had me pegged huh? She must have been talking to Ero-sennin.'

"Alright, why don't you come in and sit down. It'll take me a minute to get dressed with my arm like this."

He moved off of the bed to give the younger girl room to enter; she slipped through the window just as he stood. He ignored his blanket as it slipped off his body and onto the floor, revealing that he was clad only in a pair of dark blue boxers.

The Kunoichi felt a shiver of appreciation run down her spine as his well toned muscles flexed under his lightly tanned skin. He turned to face her and pointed to the door of his room; "You can wait out there. I'll try to be quick."

The young girl blushed and nodded, "Ah- okay."

Naruto rolled his eyes as she closed the door behind her, "Man, what the heck was wrong with her?"

He looked at his bandaged arm then began rummaging through his dresser looking for a shirt, "Crap, this sucks."

Ten minutes later he left his apartment wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and his usual orange pants, with a lightly blushing Kunoichi following in his wake.

Twenty minutes after he had been so rudely awakened, he had found himself standing in front of Tsunade's desk, with Neji, and Kiba on either side of him. They waited patiently for the Godaime to return from wherever she had gone to.

Naruto ran his good hand through his unruly hair trying in vain to tame the golden spikes; out of the corner of his eye he looked at Neji and frowned to himself.

Neji caught the look and turned to his younger friend, "Is something wrong Naruto? Is your arm bothering you?"

Naruto shook his head and smiled at the taller man, "No, I was just wondering how you keep your hair so freaking perfect. I can't seem to control mine at all."

Neji seemed surprised by the comment, "Actually I never gave it much thought. It' s just like that I guess."

Kiba laughed, "Somehow that figures." he turned to the blond between them, "Since when do you care about your hair anyway Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't really, but it's getting kind of long, and it keeps falling in my eyes."

Kiba snorted, "Well get it cut then dumbass. Get Sakura to do it."

Naruto was about to retort, but at that moment Tsunade walked back into the office carrying a small box. "Good Morning boys." she nodded to the blond, "I'm glad to see Nami was able to drag your lazy butt out of bed."

Naruto glared at her, "I was trying to sleep you old hag! It figures you'd send the most persistent genin in the city. She had my neighbors pretty pissed."

Tsunade shrugged, "Well then you should have gotten up earlier, don't blame that on her. For crying out loud, Jiraiya was right, you are grouchy in the morning."

Naruto growled, "I'm on leave, so why the heck are you bugging me so early?"

Kiba and Neji exchanged surprised glances, both of them were stunned that their friend had no problem getting into an argument with a woman who could rip out their beating hearts and hand it to them.

The Godaime frowned at her subordinate, "It's not that early brat! You get up earlier than this everyday for training."

Naruto frowned, "Yeah, well I'm tired. I can't sleep with my damn arm hurting this much!"

Tsunade's eyes widened and she strode over to the young ninja; Naruto groaned and clamped his mouth shut, obviously annoyed with himself.

With one hand she forced the young Shinobi to sit on the edge of her desk; then she set the box down next to him. "Why didn't you tell Sakura or Shizune or me that it was hurting you that badly Naruto? We're here to take care of you."

Naruto's eyes softened, "I'm alright Baa-chan."

Tsunade sighed and began to unwrap the bandages around his arm, "Neji, Kiba, you two can have a seat; this will take a few minutes."

Both ninja did as they were told; Akamaru curled up at Kiba's feet as they watched their leader treating their wounded friend.

Tsunade frowned, "Well here's the first problem. The bandages are way too tight. Sakura didn't do this."

Naruto inhaled sharply as pain suddenly surged though his arm when she relieved the pressure on the injury. "No...she didn't..." he clenched his other fist, "Sakura-chan is on a mission, but she said to have it changed everyday so I went to the hospital..."

Tsunade watched him sympathetically and placed her hand on his arm, using her chakra to ease his pain, "Naruto, do me a favor."

The young man looked up at her, "Yeah, Baa-chan?"

She patted him on his head with her free hand, "When it needs to be changed make sure you only come to Sakura, Shizune, Ino, or me. I'll always make time for you. This is a serious injury; it needs to be handled properly or there could be permanent damage to your arm okay?"

Naruto nodded, "Okay, Baa-chan. Thanks."

Kiba exchanged a concerned look with Neji, but neither of them said a word.

Tsunade opened the box at their side and began to re-bandage her favorite Shinobi's arm, "One more thing brat." she paused waiting until she had his full attention, "If something hurts, let me know. If you do then I can do something about it. There's no need for you to suffer. Got it?"

Naruto laughed happily, "Alright! Alright!" he smiled at her, "Thank you Baa-chan."

Tsunade stepped back and examined her handiwork, "How does that feel?"

Naruto carefully put his arm back in the sling that hung from his neck, "Still a little sore, but a lot better than it was."

Tsunade sighed heavily, "Alright, your arm should be okay in a week or so. I'll make you some medicine to control the pain and help you sleep, I'll send Nami by with it later today alright?"

Naruto smiled in resignation, "Okay, thanks Baa-chan." he frowned, "But, I'm not sure I like the idea of being drugged up Baa-chan. If something happened..."

The blond trailed off; he didn't need to finish his sentence because everyone in the room knew what he meant. Tsunade frowned, they were faint, but she could see the tell-tale circles forming under his eyes; the lack of sleep was beginning to wear on him.

"Naruto; your body needs sleep in order to heal. You'll take much longer to recover if you don't rest properly."

Neji stood, "Excuse me." the Hokage turned to give him her attention, "If it makes you feel better, I'll stay over with you Naruto."

Naruto stared at the older ninja, stunned by the offer; "Neji..."

Kiba got to his feet and moved to stand by the Hyuuga, "That's a good idea! I'll stay over too. What do you say Naruto?"

Tsunade smiled fondly at the young men, "I think it's a wonderful idea." she turned to the orange-clad blond, "Naruto, would that make you feel better?"

Naruto just gaped at his friends, who smiled back at him, "I—ah, I guess so. Uh thanks guys."

Kiba laughed and slapped his friend on the back nearly knocking him off the desk, "Don't worry about it Naruto. Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble!"

Neji smiled, then turned to Tsunade, "So Godaime-sama, what did you want us for?"

Naruto looked up from where he had Kiba in a one-armed headlock, "That's right, you called for us." he released his hold on the Inuzuka who stood looking rather ruffled, "What's up Baa-chan?"

Tsunade walked around her desk and sat down; resting her chin on her hands, "Very well. Take a seat."

Kiba and Neji returned to their seat on the couch and Naruto grabbed a nearby chair, swinging his leg over and resting his arms on the back of the chair.

Tsunade nodded to them; "As you know, your friends in Team 10 have recently lost their sensei. They haven't gone on a mission since they exacted their revenge on his killer more than a week ago, and their fathers have all expressed concern over the way they are dealing with the situation. Apparently they haven't even been talking to each other. Kakashi, Shizune, Iruka and I have all tried to talk to them, but we haven't been able to get through to them. As a last resort we thought that we should have their peers talk to them." she sighed, "I gave this a lot of thought and I decided that the three of you were best suited to handle this."

Neji raised one graceful eyebrow, "Tsunade-sama, I don't know them that well. I've gone on several missions with Nara, but the others I hardly know at all."

Naruto turned to regard the Hyuuga with a grin, "That may be true, but the two of you think alike." Kiba and Neji both looked confused so he continued, "Both of you are really smart,calm, logical people, right now you can probably understand him better than anyone else."

Tsunade smiled in approval, 'When is comes to the people he cares about, this boy is a genius.'

"Excellent Naruto, that's almost exactly what Kakashi said."

Naruto grinned, "I think I know why you picked us Baa-chan."

Kiba absently rubbed Akamaru's ears, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Naruto grinned, enjoying having the upper hand in the conversation, "You and I used to play with Shikamaru and Chouji when we were kids, and we've been friends for a long time. None of our other friends are as close to them as we are. My guess is you were called to talk to Chouji."

Kiba nodded seriously, "That makes sense, but what about Ino?"

Tsunade smiled, content to let Naruto flex his mental muscles, 'If only he thought like this all the time he would be unstoppable!'

Naruto's grin widened, "Since Sakura-chan is away, I'm here for Ino-chan." he rubbed his head sheepishly and a light blush spread on his cheeks, "Her and I have gotten pretty close since I got back."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her favorite ninja, 'Hmmm? What's this?' she smiled to herself, 'I wonder if Sakura has finally lost her chance...'

Tsunade crossed the space between her and Naruto than ruffled his hair lovingly, "Exactly kid. You know if you put that much thought into everything you do then you'd never get caught off guard again."

Naruto frowned at the masked compliment, "Uh, yeah, thanks a lot Baa-chan."

Tsunade laughed, "Anyway get going you brats. That's your mission for today. Operation: Cheer up Team 10!" she turned to Kiba and Neji, "Take care of him you two."

Kiba smiled as he saluted their leader, "You got it Godaime-sama!"

Neji chuckled, "We'll watch out for him."

Naruto pouted, "Hey! I can take care of myself just fine!"

Neji bowed to Tsunade and turned to leave her office with Kiba and Akamaru close behind him, "Naruto are you coming?"

Naruto sprang up from his seat and ran after them, "Hey! Are you guys listening!? Hey! Guys!!"


	2. Tears

AN: First off, I apologize for the delay in the second chapter, but I've been busy with school, and I wanted to put the time I had into the first of my chapter fics (I.e. He Noticed) I didn't want to ignore it for the sake of the newer stories. So sorry about that. I would like to remind everyone that this fic DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS! In fact they are the center of this story so be prepared and read at your own risk. Alright, enough business, I hope everyone likes it.

Naruto stopped at the side entrance to the Yamanaka household; he sighed as he looked up at Ino's window. Though he had been confident that he could cheer her up when he had left the Hokage's office, he had to admit that he had no idea what to say to the girl.

He knew what it was like to lose someone precious, when Sauske had abandoned them, the Uchiha might as well have been dead for the way he had felt afterwards.

He sighed heavily, 'But losing Sauske was different. I can try again. I get another chance. But this time...'

He shuffled his feet in the dirt trying to imagine how he would feel if Iruka were killed, but just the thought of losing the first person who had ever shown him affection made tears come to his eyes and his lower lip quiver uncontrollably.

He abandoned that line of thought before he lost the little control he had left and forced his thoughts back to Ino, 'How can I help her?' he bit his lower lip, 'Maybe I should go talk to Iruka-sensei first...'

He was on the verge of turning around and heading off to Iruka's apartment when the door jerked open. Naruto jumped and looked up to find himself face to face with Ino's father.

The older man leaned against the door frame and looked down at Naruto, "So kid, how long are you planning to stand out here, because I was planning on taking my wife out to lunch."

Naruto's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find some excuse for standing outside their home; his childhood experiences telling him that being caught hanging around for no reason could mean trouble.

He briefly contemplated his options before he remembered that he _had _a perfectly valid reason to be standing on the Yamanaka's doorstep.

He took a deep breath, 'Ino's dad is pretty nice too... wow, talk about a flashback.'

He smiled up at the older blond, "Hi there Yamanaka-san. Tsunade no baa-chan told me that Ino-chan was still really depressed after what happened to Asuma-sensei. She asked me to talk to her to see if I could cheer her up a bit." he stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Or at least I can be someone for her to talk to."

The older ninja smiled, "Oh I see, Godaime-sama said she would send one of Ino's friends to talk to her." he sighed, "Death is part of being a ninja, we all know that, but that doesn't make it any easier. Especially the first time you lose someone important to you, but she has to move on sometime."

Naruto nodded, "I understand, but to be honest I don't know what to say to her. That's why I was standing out here, I was trying to decide how to help her feel better, but nothing I can do or say can bring back Asuma-sensei." he looked down at his feet, "I don't know how helpful I'll be."

The taller man smiled and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Your heart's in the right place, that's the most important thing. Just be her friend, more than anything else that's what she needs right now, whether she knows it or not."

Naruto looked up at the other ninja, "Will that be enough?"

The older shinobi surprised him by ruffling his hair, "I'd think so if it's coming from you!" he looked Naruto in the eyes, "Just do what you always do. Be yourself. You've gotten through to people who were beyond hope. I have no doubt that you can cheer up a mourning teen aged kunoichi."

Naruto smiled up at Ino's father, "Well I'm glad you feel that way. I'll certainly do my best. I care about Ino-chan, I don't like seeing her hurt."

The older man laughed, "Then I know I'm leaving her in good hands. Just don't try to rush her and you'll be fine."

He turned back towards the house, "Come on in."

Naruto followed the jounin into his home through a well lit hallway and into the small but tidy kitchen where Ino's mother was sitting at a table.

Naruto nodded his head to the blond woman, "Hello Yamanaka-san."

She looked surprised to see him, but she smiled pleasantly, "Hello Naruto-kun. So it was you that my husband sensed outside?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, Tsunade no baa-chan sent me to cheer up Ino-chan, but I was trying to think of what I could say to her..."

The middle aged woman stood and smiled at him, "Oh! Thank you so much for coming Naruto-kun. We've been worried about how Ino is handling the loss of Asuma-san. She may be more willing to talk to you."

Naruto tilted his head at her, "Do you think so? I'm going to do my best."

The woman smiled, "I think so. She speaks very highly of you." she put her arm around his shoulders in a motherly fashion, "You know? She was really excited that first day when she saw you after you came home. She ran right home after work and talked about you all evening."

Naruto blushed, "I-ino-chan did..?"

The blond woman laughed, "She kept going on and on about how much you've changed. Speaking of which," she turned and held him at arms length, "My, my, you have grown into a handsome young man haven't you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked at his feet, "You think so...?"

Ino's father took pity on the young man and saved him from further 'motherly chat' by putting an arm around his wife's waist, "Come on Honey. Let's go to lunch and let the kids talk. They don't need us hanging around getting in the way."

Naruto sighed in relief as the woman turned to face her husband, "Alright, alright! Let's go then." she turned back to Naruto, "I'll see you later then Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled, "Have fun!"

As the older couple went out the door, Ino's father turned back to Naruto who was just setting his foot on the first step of their staircase, "Take care of my little girl Naruto."

Naruto nodded and smiled reassuringly, "I will sir."

The older shinobi nodded and the door closed behind them; Naruto looked up the staircase, slightly disconcerted by how silent the house was.

He took a deep breath then headed up the stairs, 'Alright, here goes nothing.'

Naruto walked slowly up the stairs and into the hallway, heading towards the back of the house where he knew he would find Ino's room.

He stood outside her door; his fist poised just short of the light wood, 'Oh man.' he shook his head to clear his thoughts, 'Come on! I can do this!'

He knew she must already be aware of him, he hadn't bothered to mask his approach, and his level of chakra was hard to miss when he wasn't trying, even for new ninja.

He hesitated a moment longer, then he knocked.

The dull thud of his fist on wood resounded in the silence of the Yamanaka household; he waited for a moment to see if she would answer, but no sound came from the room so he knocked again.

He sighed, again no answer to his knock, 'I know she's in there. I can sense her chakra.'

He let his hand drop to his side, "Ino-chan!... Ino-chan are you okay?"

Again there was no answer to acknowledge his presence; he frowned, concern for the blond girl making him uneasy, "Come on Ino-chan! I just want to make sure you're alright!"

He paused and considered just walking in without being invited, 'What am I thinking!? I can't do that!'

He took a deep breath then pounded on her door, "Ino-chan!! Please? I just want--"

He was cut off by the voice of a very angry kunoichi, "Go away Naruto!!"

"But Ino-chan..."

"I don't want to talk! Go away!"

Naruto frowned, all traces of uncertainty vanishing as his renowned stubborn streak ignited within him, "I'm not leaving until I've talked to you Ino-chan... I can't leave until I know you're going to be okay..."

There was a dull thud, like the sound of a body falling against the thin wooden door, "You've talked to me and I'm fine. There, now you can go."

Naruto shook his head, not caring that she couldn't see it, "Sorry Ino-chan. That's not good enough."

There was a muffled growl from the other side of the door, "Then I guess you can just stay out there can't you!?"

Naruto turned around and leaned against the door, then let himself slide to the floor, "Okay. I'll stay as long as I have to Ino-chan."

He heard her groan in annoyance then stomp across the small room and flop onto the bed. He leaned his head back against the door and closed his eyes, 'I think I'm in for a long wait...'

An hour passed, then another, and Naruto found himself wondering how long it would be before Ino's parents returned home to find that he hadn't made any progress.

He ran a hand through his unruly hair, 'I just don't feel like I can rush this. I just have to be here for her when she's ready to talk.'

He grimaced as his wounded arm continued to throb with a dull ache, 'Damn. I wish I knew what she was thinking!'

He suddenly toppled backwards as the door was opened; he fell onto his back, the jolt causing pain to shoot through his arm and up his shoulder. He clenched his teeth and hissed in pain, "ow..."

He looked up to see the blue-eyed woman glaring down at him, "Will you just give it up already? I can't even go to the bathroom with you sitting out here!"

Naruto smiled pleasantly at her; glad that at least she had come out of her room, "No one's stopping you. Go ahead."

To illustrate his point he sat up and scooted out of her way, "The way is clear my lady."

She rolled her eyes and kicked him weakly in the leg as she walked past him, "It's about time."

Ino sighed heavily as she walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her; she wasn't worried that Naruto would follow her, she knew better than that, but it seemed to have become a habit over the last couple of weeks.

She frowned, 'Well if everyone would just leave me alone then I wouldn't have to.'

She leaned over the sink and examined herself in the mirror; her eyes were puffy from crying and she could have sworn that she had wrinkles forming around her eyes, 'Crap, this sucks, Naruto isn't helping my stress levels either.'

She leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on her face, 'That's it,' she straighted up and squared her shoulders, 'He's got to go! I can't do this right now.'

She walked back out of the bathroom, half hoping that he would already be gone, but everything she knew about the other shinobi told her that she wasn't that lucky.

She walked back to her room, grateful that her parents weren't home, and her eyes went wide when she saw that the hallway was empty, 'He..he actually left.'

For reasons she didn't quite understand, her stomach sank and her heart twinged with regret, 'Maybe I was too harsh... he looked like he was in pain when I made him fall over... probably his arm...'

She walked into her room and her remorse immediately flared into anger when she saw the blond in question sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed.

He was cradling his bandaged arm and his eyes were closed in thought, he looked up as she entered the room, staring at him with rage smoldering in her ice-blue eyes.

She stomped into the room and practically screamed at him, "What do you think you're doing in here Naruto!!"

He closed one eye and tilted his head slightly to get a better look at her, "You left the door open. Besides this is a lot more comfortable than sitting in the hallway."

She stormed across the room and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, "I don't care! Get out of here!"

Naruto looked up at her, his sapphire eyes boring into hers, trying desperately to reach her wounded heart, "Please talk to me Ino-chan. I only want to help; trust me, when you're hurting it doesn't help to be alone."

She stared into his eyes, unable to look away; for a moment all thought was swept away and she found herself drowning in those fathomless blue eyes.

He blinked and the spell was broken; she closed her eyes for a moment, then flopped onto her bed and rolled onto her stomach so she could face him, "Why is it I can never say no to you Naruto? I'm still mad at you, but this is an argument that I know I can't win."

Naruto smiled softly, "Who's arguing Ino-chan?"

She rolled her eyes, "Naruto..."

He interrupted her, "Ino-chan, I know you're sad right now" he bit his lip before continuing, "I'm not going to tell you to not be sad. Nothing that anyone can say or do can bring back Asuma-sensei.."

Tears formed in her eyes at the mention of her sensei; he frowned, but she didn't say anything so he forged ahead, "but that doesn't mean that you're alone...I care about you Ino-chan, we all do."

He reached up and put his hand on her arm, "All I'm saying Ino-chan is you can't hide in here forever. The past can never be forgotten, things just don't work that way. As ninja, the past will always haunt us. That's something we have to accept." he gave her arm a little squeeze, "That's true for the good things as well as the bad things. It's the bad things that make everything else seem that much better y'know?"

She watched him carefully, pondering his words, "We just have to accept it huh...?"

Naruto continued, hoping he was getting through to his former classmate, 'So far, so good.'

He smiled reassuringly at her, "Hey Ino-chan, baa-chan said you haven't left your house for almost a week. It's a beautiful day outside. What do you say we go grab something to eat. Then we can go to the park and have a picnic." he grinned, "It might help you get your mind off of everything."

He looked up at her as she stared at him; Naruto smiled at her, waiting for a response, but he felt uneasy as she continued to watch him with blank eyes.

Suddenly her anger erupted, she bolted up off of the bed and tears streamed down her cheeks as she yelled at him, "That's your great idea!! Just go on a picnic and forget this ever happened!!"

Naruto stood and raised his hand to deter her, "No Ino-chan that's not what I--"

She ignored him, continuing to shout over his soothing reassurances, "Everyone just wants me to forget!! Everyone just wants me to let it go and move on!! You have no right Naruto! You don't know what if feels like to lose someone you love!!"

Naruto ignored the comment and stepped closer to her, intending to put his hand on her shoulder, "Ino-chan I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

He froze as her hand flew at him; he was too surprised to dodge; an instant later the slap resounded through the otherwise silent house. Naruto put a hand to his face as he stared at her, his cheek stung and he tasted blood.

"Ino-chan..."

She glared at him, tears rolling down her cheeks and along her jaw, "Get out."

Naruto felt his own eyes begin to water as he looked at her; the fact that she had hit him didn't bother him at all, but the site of a girl in tears was causing his heart to twinge painfully in his chest.

He took a deep shuddering breath, "Alright." he went to the window and opened it, opting for the quickest escape route rather that trying his luck getting past the distraught woman.

He turned away from her and put one foot up on the windowsill, "I'm sorry Ino-chan. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll go, I'm only making things worse...I'm sorry."

She didn't reply, she just watched him jump out of her window and to the next rooftop. He didn't turn around, but she stomped over to the window and slammed it shut, then drew the curtains closed to block out all sight of the other ninja.

After a moment all of her anger drained away to be replaced by shame for the way she had acted, 'He was only trying to help...Naruto would never hurt me on purpose... he must think I'm a horrible person.'

She climbed wearily onto her bed and cried into her pillow, 'Damn it, I'm so sick of crying...'

--

Iruka leaned his chin on his hand as he flipped to the next page of the book he was reading. Class had let out hours ago, and since it was necessary for him to be at the academy everyday to help rear the next generation of ninja, he didn't go on missions much anymore; there was no guarantee that he would be back on time; or at all.

He rolled his eyes at himself, "This whole business with Asuma-san has made me morbid."

He turned to the next page in his book, not really reading it, "Poor Konohamaru has been taking it pretty hard... maybe I should ask Godaime-sama to give him a break from missions. Then again work may be the best thing for him right now..."

His musings were cut off by a knock at his door, "Hmmm I wasn't expecting anyone."

Iruka stood and moved softly to his door; he flicked the latch then opened the door; his jaw dropped.

Standing on his doorstep was a sad-eyed Naruto; the last time, and the only time, Naruto had shown up at Iruka's looking like that had been right after Sauske left.

The incident had been two fold for Iruka; the sight of his beloved student fighting back tears tugged at his heart strings and made the sensitive teacher want to wipe the boy's sadness away and shower him with affection. On the other hand, he was happy that Naruto trusted him and felt safe enough in his presence to seek comfort from him.

Iruka had been so proud of how much Naruto had grown while he had been away; both mentally and physically, but now, as Naruto stood in his doorway, looking mournfully up at him, he couldn't help but think that he looked the same as he had before.

The lost, sorrowful look radiating from the depths of his cerulean eyes was as close to that day as he had ever seen the boy and it made him look like a child all over again.

Iruka swallowed hard, pushing down the sympathy that was knotting in his chest; Naruto was like the son he had never had, and right now he needed him to be the father he had always longed for.

He reached out for the young man's arm and pulled him across the threshold, shutting the door behind him, "Naruto, are you alright?" he leaned over to be on eye level with the shorter ninja, "What's the matter? What happened to your cheek?"

Naruto looked up at him, pouting far more dramatically than was right for his age, "Iruka-sensei..."


	3. Cheer up team 10!

AN: Can I just say it? I love Iruka.

Naruto sighed dramatically and leaned back against the door, "Iruka-sensei..." he rubbed his face with his good hand, "Can I talk to you?"

Iruka put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pulled him further into his apartment, "Of course Naruto, come sit down and tell me what's wrong."

He propelled Naruto towards his kitchen table and onto the chair that he had vacated moments before, "Stay put, I'll get you an ice pack for your cheek."

Naruto snorted, "I don't need ice Iruka-sensei, I'm fine."

Iruka ignored the comment and went to his freezer, "Just let me take care of you Naruto." he glanced back at his former student, "So, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?"

The blond sighed, "It wasn't my idea. I really wish I had stayed in bed today."

The chunnin walked back to Naruto and pressed the ice pack against his bruised cheek, "Tell me about it then," he sat on the edge of the table, pushing aside the now forgotten book, "Maybe I can help."

Naruto leaned his elbow on the table and held the ice to his face, "I hope so. Tsunade-baa-chan gave me a mission today," Iruka raised an eyebrow, but held his tongue, "You know about Team 10 right?"

The older ninja nodded sadly, "Yes, they aren't taking the death of Asuma-san very well." he sighed, "It's understandable; death is just part of life for a ninja, but the first time you lose a friend in battle... well, it really alters your perspective."

His eyes darkened, "Unfortunately, that's not what anyone wants to hear when they're mourning."

Naruto blinked up at the other man, "That's right, I almost forgot that Baa-chan sent you to talk to them already."

Iruka ran a hand through his hair, "Not that it did any good. I don't think they heard a word I said."

"Well, it's my turn now," Naruto stared at the tabletop, "Except," he frowned as he looked up at his teacher, "I'm not doing a very good job."

Iruka started to speak, but he was interrupted by Naruto's stomach growling loudly. He almost laughed, but instead he stood and walked back into the kitchen, "Start from the beginning Naruto. Come in here and tell me exactly what happened while I make us something to eat."

In spite of everything Naruto smiled as he stood and followed the taller man, "Thanks Iruka-sensei."

Over the next twenty minutes Naruto told his teacher all about his day; from being rudely awakened, to his meeting with the Hokage, and finally his unsuccessful attempts to cheer up his fellow blond.

Iruka handed two cups to his favorite student and gestured for him to return to the table, then he followed carrying two steaming plates of pork buns in one hand and a pot of tea in the other.

They sat at the table and Iruka poured them both some tea, "It's not like you to give up so easily Naruto. I'm surprised that you let her scare you away like that."

Naruto sighed as he idly tugged at the sling where his right arm rested, "I made her cry Iruka-sensei. I made a girl _cry._" he picked up a pork bun, "It's not right for a guy to make a girl cry."

Iruka smiled fondly at his student, "It's not your fault you know. She's sort of prone to crying right now, she cried when I talked to her too. It certainly doesn't mean we upset her on purpose."

Naruto took a bite and looked up at Iruka with curious eyes, "Really? So I shouldn't feel so bad about it?"

Iruka shook his head, carefully masking his amusement at the blond's naiveté, "No you shouldn't," he took a bite of his own food, "and you shouldn't give up yet either. If you can't get through to her I don't think anyone can. This could haunt her for the rest of her career if she can't move past it."

The younger man licked his lips, "Don't you think Sakura-chan would be better at this sort of thing? Girls understand each other better."

"No," the chunnin shook his head, "Sakura won't be sensitive enough, and I have never met anyone more empathetic than you."

Naruto tilted his head at the older man, "Empathetic? What does that mean?"

Iruka sighed, "It means that you're good at understanding how other people feel."

"Oh, I get it," Naruto smiled ruefully at him, "But even if I know how she feels, it doesn't mean I can make her feel any better."

The teacher leaned across the table and flicked Naruto's forehead; the teen grimaced and pouted at the older man, "Ow, Iruka-sensei! What the heck was that for?"

Iruka crossed his arms and looked sternly at the other ninja, "Uzumaki Naruto! Are you giving up on your mission?"

Naruto stared at him as he rubbed his forehead, "I-huh?"

"You are sworn to do your best to successfully complete your missions. Are you going to report failure to Godaime after one failed attempt?"

Naruto's eyes flared with determination, "Of course not! I never go back on my word; I'll complete my mission no matter what!"

Iruka nodded in approval, "Much better. There's no way you could become Hokage if you're willing to give up that easily on anything."

The blond smiled, "You're right, I'll cheer up Ino-chan," he sat back in his chair and munched happily on his lunch, "Thanks Iruka-sensei, I needed to hear that."

The dark-haired nin smiled softly, "Of course, I know my student." he winked, "No matter how old you get some things never change; you're still you."

Naruto grinned, "Well, I hope I changed at least a little while I was gone."

Iruka laughed, "Sure you did. Your hair's longer."

The younger ninja laughed as he watched Iruka through the golden spikes of hair that fell over his eyes, "I guess I could use a haircut."

After a few minutes their laughter died away and Naruto sat lost in thought as he gazed at the tabletop, "I really should have some sort of plan before I go see her again..."

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the blond, "A plan huh? I never thought I would hear you say that Naruto."

Naruto smirked at the older man, "See? I've changed more than you thought." he chewed thoughtfully, "I'm still open to suggestions though."

"Hmmm." Iruka leaned his chin on his hand, "I wonder what she usually does when she's depressed."

Naruto's head snapped up, "What?"

Iruka blinked at the teen, "Well everyone has something that makes them feel better when they're depressed right? Some way for them to deal with their emotions. I was just wondering what she would normally do." he sighed, "Then again, if it was that simple then we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, "This is more than just a bad day though." he smiled to himself, "This calls for something special"

He grabbed the last bun off of his plate and stood, "I've got an idea. Thanks Iruka-sensei, you really helped a lot."

Iruka jumped to his feet, "Naruto?What are you talking about?"

Naruto waved over his shoulder as he ran towards the door and stepped into his sandals, "Something to help her let her feelings out. You gave me an idea and I've got just the thing!"

The chunnin ran to his student's side as he stepped out onto the walkway, "Where are you going?"

Naruto grinned, "It's a secret. Don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes."

The blond hopped up onto the railing and Iruka reached for his arm, "Naruto you shouldn't be going over rooftops--"

He was cut off as Naruto jumped from the building, "Later Iruka-sensei!"

"-- with your arm like that..." he sighed heavily. As he turned back to his apartment he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, "hmm?"

He looked over to see one of his neighbors watching him with raised eyebrows; he shrugged and smiled sheepishly at the middle-aged woman, "Kids huh? They never listen."

She walked away shaking her head and laughing to herself. Iruka put his hand to his head, "Ahhhhh teenagers are such a pain..."

Ino's eyes fluttered open and she looked blearily around her bedroom, _I must have cried myself to sleep..._

She rolled over and rubbed at her eyes that were sticky with dried tears; then she sat up, slowly untangling herself from her sheets.

Ino stood and straightened her clothes as she walked to the window; ran her fingers through her tangled blond hair then pushed aside the curtains and opened the window.

A soft breeze blew through the room, Ino sighed heavily as she looked out over the rooftops, and she held her arm over her forehead, shading her eyes from the rays of the late-afternoon sun.

"I can't believe that I said those things to him... I was so terrible to him, and he was only trying to help." she put a hand to her cheek, "I even hit him." she shut her eyes tightly, "Naruto, I'm so sorry."

She slid to her knees and leaned her head on the windowsill, "What should I do?"

Ino squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry; when she opened them again her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but she clenched her teeth and got to her feet.

"I need to find him. I need to apologize," she reached under her bed and pulled out her sandals then slipped them on and jumped out of her window.

She took a deep breath to steady herself then sprinted off over the roof of the next building, _Okay. Where are you Naruto?_

Ino flipped gracefully from one roof to the next, carefully scanning the streets and the buildings she passed; looking for any sign of the orange-clad blond.

She searched the city for nearly half and hour, struggling to ignore the guilt and the grief that were threatening to consume her.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes once more; she sighed heavily and rubbed at her eyes, forcing herself to focus on finding the very person she had pushed away.

_But searching blindly like this isn't going to get me anywhere._

She landed on top of the empty academy building and looked around as she thought of were she should look first, "Maybe he went home. He can't go out on missions in his condition, and Godaime-sama told him he was forbidden to train." she bit her lip, "Knowing Naruto that has to be tough on him."

Ino jumped from the building to a tree then sped off towards Naruto's apartment.

A few minutes later she found herself standing outside of the other blond's home, staring uncertainly at the sun bleached wood.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and knocked on the door; the sound resounded through the seemingly empty apartment complex, but there was no answer.

Ino stood for a moment, her emotions swirling chaotically inside her and twisting her stomach into knots.

She shut her eyes tightly as a wave of dizziness hit her, _Probably from crying so much._

Ino opened her eyes and knocked again, then put her ear to the faded wood to listen for any sort of movement on the other side, _He may not want to talk to me after the way I treated him. _

She frowned, "I don't hear anything." her hand went involuntarily to the bag on her hip, reaching for her lock-picking gear, but she stopped herself before her hand closed around the little bundle of tools.

_No, Ninja don't do that to each other. It's so rude. _

She stepped up onto the railing and looked out over the city, "Where did you go?"

Ino looked up at the Hokage monument, then her gaze sank lower and came to rest on the Hokage tower.

_That's right! Godaime-sama sent him. He might have gone to see her. I'll have to tell her what happened..._

In spite of the blush of embarrassment that she felt warming her cheeks, she sprang from the railing and headed to the tower.

Naruto stepped off the edge of the hospital building and dropped into the street below; he landed on his feet with a soft thud, then turned into a side street.

He made his way through several alleyways and jumped a couple of fences; then he smiled with satisfaction as he entered his favorite convenience store, "Gotta love shortcuts."

A few minutes later he left the store with a couple of bags in his good hand, "Alright. Snacks and drinks ready. Now I just need to get Ino-chan."

He grinned as he focused his chakra on the soles of his feet and walked up the side of the building; he took a deep breath then jumped to the next building, heading for Ino's home.

Naruto grimaced as he thought of seeing her again, but he steeled his determination as her window came into view.

He landed gracefully on the windowsill and looked around the empty room, "Eh? She's not here." he rested his chin on his hand, letting the grocery bag dangle from two fingers, "I wonder where she went."

Naruto stepped into the room and felt around for any sign of the girls' chakra; finding none he turned back to the window.

He stopped in his tracks as he noticed something caught in the window frame, fluttering lightly in the breeze.

Naruto grinned as he examined the long golden hair that was caught in the window, "Aha. That's way to long to be one of mine."

He looked across at the nearest roof, "It's gonna be almost impossible to follow her in the city though, so much traffic and interference. Maybe Baa-chan will let me get Kiba or Kakashi-sensei to help me out."

He curled his fingers tighter around the bag as he sprinted off towards Hokage tower, "I wonder if Neji and Kiba are having such a tough time with Shikamaru and Chouji."

Neji's eyebrow arched in confusion as he walked around the corned of the Nara's patio and found Shikamaru sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by books and scrolls and staring at a shouji board.

He walked around the younger ninja so that he could see the other man's face, "Nara?"

He frowned when he got no response, so he crouched down in front of the chunnin and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Nara?...Shikamaru? Are you--?"

Neji stopped short as a soft snore emanated from the other ninja.

He closed his eyes in annoyance, "...he's _asleep!"_

Neji fought the urge to violently shake the sleeping chunnin, "Nara you pain in the ass! If you're just going to sleep what did I come all the way out here for?"

Kiba balanced easily on Akamaru's back as the giant dog jumped over a wall and into Chouji's family garden.

The Inuzuka glanced around, unconcerned by the fact that he had just entered his friend's home uninvited.

He swung his leg over Akamaru's side and slid to the ground, then he reached for the plastic bag that Akamaru had been carrying in his large muzzle.

"Thanks Akamaru." he reached over and ruffled his partner's ears earning a grunt of satisfaction from the beast.

He smiled as he looked down at Akamaru, who was watching him with devotion, "Good boy."

Kiba swung the bag over his shoulder as he walked around the corner of the house in search of his target, "His room is over here, so he should be around here somewhere."

He grinned when he looked up to see a leg dangling from between the branches of the large tree that grew on the Akimichi property.

Kiba sauntered up to the tree and leaned against the rough bark, absently shaking the bag so it would rustle loudly, "Hey there Chouji."

He waited for a moment then grimaced when there was no response from his large friend.

Kiba looked down at Akamaru and sighed dramatically, "That's a shame that he's not coming down Akamaru. I guess we'll have to eat these snacks all on our own."

Akamaru barked and wagged his tail at his master. He jumped up and put his front paws against the tree as he sniffed at the bag that Kiba held out to him.

Kiba smirked, "Well he probably wouldn't be able to keep up with us anyway--"

He stopped short and shrank against the tree as Chouji dropped out of the tree with a resounding thud and stared into the Inuzuka's eyes.

Kiba gulped as Chouji's eyes flared with the anticipation of a challenge, "You think you can beat me huh!?"

The Inuzuka scowled to hide the grin that threatened to give him away, "Bring it on Big Boy."

AN: For those of you have read the newest chapter of the Naruto manga (chapter 304) you'll know what I'm talking about next. I LOVE IRUKA-SENSEI!! OH MY GOSH!! Iruka is absolutely one of my favorites. He is surpassed only by Naruto himself, and followed closely by Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, and Kiba. Kakashi is always bouncing up and down in my favor because he can be such an insensitive ass sometimes but he rocks sooo much --. :sigh: Sai is quickly coming up to join the running though. Anyhoo Yay Iruka!! Oh and I hope everyone liked this chapter. It took sooooo long to write. No matter what I did it never seemed to turn out right, but I'm pretty satisfied with it now. :sigh: I wanted to write a bit more, but I couldn't get out what I wanted to say and this chapter took a freaking LONG TIME to begin with so I thought it was best to just give you what I do have. Sorry 'bout that everyone...


	4. Finding you

AN: Hey there my fellow Naru-tards, I have to apologize for how long its been since I last updated, but the last few months have been a bit rough and I just wasn't feeling up to working on my fics. More than anything I really didn't want to post something that I just threw together. So I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

EDIT: Hey thanks for the heads up on the typo, that's what happens when I write at 2 in the morning. hehe

Naruto landed on the roof of a residential building and paused, looking out over the city, 'Konoha really is beautiful.' he stood taking in the clear view he had of the Hokage tower and the monument that watched over the city.

'One day I'll be looking out from there. I wonder if the city will be as beautiful then.'

"Oh Naruto huh? Should you really be running around like this?"

The blond turned around, a grin spreading across his face as he looked up towards the familiar voice, "Ero-sennin! You're back!"

Jiraiya smiled as he watched Naruto's eyes light up, "I'm glad to see you too Naruto." he draped his arm across the smaller ninja's shoulders and pulled him closer so he could watch his expressive eyes.

The older man smiled down at his student to hide his concern, "So, how's your injury?"

Naruto frowned down at the bandages that covered his arm, "Baa-chan said that it was pretty bad. She and Sakura-chan told me that I couldn't use it for at least a week." he looked up at his Master, "How did you even know about it anyway? Weren't you out doing recon for Baa-chan?"

Jiraiya grinned, "I have my ways." Naruto grumbled, not satisfied by the vague answer and Jiraiya laughed, "Relax, I ran into Kakashi on my way into town and I asked him how you were doing. I'm pretty busy so I had been planning to drop off my report for Tsunade, say a quick hello to you and then head out again, but when I heard that my favorite student was wounded my priorities changed."

Naruto smiled and leaned on the older ninja, grateful for his concern, "Thanks Ero-sennin. You don't have to worry about me I'll be fine."

The Sannin pulled away from his student to get a better look at him, "Yeah, I guess you will with the two best medics in the world looking after you. Just make sure you listen to them alright? Tsunade and Sakura know what they're talking about."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I keep hearing that from everyone I talk to." he grinned, 'I'll be careful I promise."

Jiraiya nodded approvingly, "Good," he put his hand to his chin, suddenly serious, "How about money?"

Naruto tilted his head at his teacher, "Huh? What about it?"

"You didn't have much left by the time we got back to Konoha, and now you can't go on missions for a couple weeks. Do you have enough for everything? Rent, food, kunai?"

The older ninja rummaged in his backpack for a moment and produced his wallet, "Do you need money?"

Naruto shook his head, "I'm okay you don't need to worry about it." Jiraiya watched him suspiciously, so the blond continued, "I already paid rent for the next two months and I have plenty of instant ramen at home, and I have lots of kunai. So it's okay, really."

Jiraiya frowned, "Naruto, I know you don't like asking for help, but if you need it..."

"Nope, I've got it covered." he smiled, once again grateful for his Master's concern, "Thanks anyway."

The older man watched him for a moment, then sighed and tucked his wallet back into his backpack, "Alright, if you're sure."

The blond shot him a foxy grin, "Really sure. Thanks."

Jiraiya crossed his arms across his chest, "So where are you headed in such a hurry kid?"

Naruto slouched a bit as he was reminded of his errand, "I'm going to see Baa-chan. You heard about what happened to Asuma-sensei right?"

"Yes, I heard about it through my people that are monitoring Akatsuki's movements." he frowned, "I was very sorry to hear about it. Asuma was a good man, and an excellent ninja." he tilted his head at his apprentice, "His students are friends of yours aren't they?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, but they aren't dealing with it well. We managed to hunt down and kill the ones who did it-that's how I got hurt, with my own damn jutsu no less- but they're still mourning. Baa-chan sent me on a mission today to cheer up Ino-chan, but instead I made her angry and she kicked me out. I went back to talk to her again few minutes ago, but she's not home anymore. So I'm going to see if Baa-chan has any idea where she could be."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, " I guess it's really hard to lose someone you love."

Jiraiya sighed, "It's the hardest part about being a Shinobi. We always run the risk of losing the ones we care for." he put his hand on the younger man's shoulder, "That's why we have to be strong. To protect those we love, and we have to make the most of the time that we have."

"Strong huh?" Naruto looked down and his clenched fist, as images of his friends-his family- flashed through his mind, "Yeah, that's why I have to get stronger, so I can protect everyone. But..."

His teacher's brows came together in confusion, "But what Naruto?"

"Maybe...maybe this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't come back to Konoha." he looked up at his master with troubled eyes, "They came here for me. I don't know if all my friends know that but... It happened because I was here."

Jiraiya grabbed the teen by his shoulders and looked hard into his eyes, "You don't know that. This is your home, this is where you should be."

Naruto frowned, "But if I'm bringing danger to the village, to my friends..." he shuddered at the thought of what his enemies were capable of, "Not everyone can stand up to them the way you can. What if I'm not strong enough?"

The legendary hermit squeezed the blond's shoulders, "You will be. You're almost there already and you're stronger than you think." he smiled reassuringly, "and you aren't alone. Tsunade, Kakashi and I are all here to help you and make you stronger."

He released Naruto and grinned at him, "Don't worry so much. Your friends are tougher than you give them credit for, and I'm sure that, no matter what the danger, none of them would want you to face this alone."

Naruto smiled, comforted by his Master's words, "You're right Ero-sennin. Thanks, you're the best."

"No problem kid." he gestured toward Hokage tower, "Shouldn't you get going? You're in the middle of a mission right now aren't you?"

He nodded, "Yup, you coming?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "Sorry, but I have to take care of something. I'll drop by to talk to Tsunade a little later." he threw his arm around the smaller shinobi's shoulders and gave him a quick hug, "I'm not staying more than a day, so I might not see you again for awhile; take care of yourself Naruto. Train hard, but don't push yourself too much alright?"

Naruto nodded, "Okay have a good trip." Jiraiya waved to him over his shoulder as he turned away from his student.

Naruto frowned; he felt uneasy as stared at his Master's back and his heart sank a little as the older ninja started to walk away.

"Ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya looked back at him, "Yeah?"

Naruto's good hand clutched at the fabric of his pants, "Be careful okay? Try to come back soon."

The older man grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, "I will. I'll see you soon Naruto."

Naruto managed a small smile, then he turned back towards the Hokage tower, pushing aside the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and focusing on the task at hand.

'He'll be fine. He's the strongest ninja I've ever met.' he smiled, comforted by the thought, 'What was I thinking, he'll be back."

"Alright, I need to get going."

He jumped to the next building, with his eyes fixed on the windows that led into the Hokage's office, 'Okay, Baa-chan will know what to do. Hang in there Ino-chan.'

____________________________________________

Ino closed her eyes, took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling slowly; she grimaced and forced herself to raise her hand to knock on the Hokage's thick wooden door.

The sound of her fist on wood seemed to ring in her ears, but she didn't have time to lose her nerve because at that moment Tsunade's firm voice emanated from the office, "Come in!"

Ino was hardly aware of what she was doing as she swiftly entered the Hokage's office and snapped to attention in front of the older woman's desk, "Godaime-sama! I'm sorry to intrude-"

"Ino?" Tsunade looked up at her in surprise, "It's good to see you." her brow creased in thought for a fraction of a second, as she considered the younger woman, "Have you seen Naruto at all today?"

The younger Kunoichi seemed to deflate a bit, and Tsunade waited with uncharacteristic patience for her to answer, "Yes... I have."

The Hokage gazed at her with one eyebrow raised, "And?"

Ino's hand clutched at the fabric of her skirt, "He came to my house. He waited outside my room for hours because I wouldn't let him in, but he refused to leave until I talked to him."

The Hokage smiled to herself, 'That sounds like him.'

The younger Kunoichi's eyes darked, "He was trying to cheer me up, but I screamed at him," she turned away to hide her face from the older woman, "I slapped him, hard. I screamed and cried like a child and forced him to leave."

She rubbed her face vigorously to try and pull herself together, "It was really pathetic, I was so mean. He was only trying to help, but I wouldn't listen. I've been trying to find him; I want to apologize but I can't find him anywhere! Tsunade-sama do you know where he is?"

Tsunade resisted the urge to reach for her sake, 'Why is it that these kids always make things so complicated?'

"Alright, alright. Just calm down Ino. First of all this is Naruto we're talking about. He's not exactly the type to hold a grudge."

Ino turned back to the older woman, "Do you think so?"

The Godaime sighed and slapped her hand on her desk, "Ino you know him well enough that you shouldn't even have to ask. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself when you see him." She jerked her thumb towards the window behind her.

Ino's eyes went wide, "He's here?"

Tsunade sighed, "Yes, he'll be hopping in through the window any second now. My guess is he's here looking for you." she smiled, "He doesn't give up that easily."

Just as Ino was about to respond; unruly golden spikes appeared at the windowsill, followed shortly by the rest of the blond.

Before either of them had a chance to speak Tsunade stood and grabbed Naruto by the back of his shirt, pulled him up into the office and set him in her chair.

Naruto squirmed in her grasp while his good hand tugged futilely at the hand that was restraining him, "Baa-chan! What the hell? Let go!"

Tsunade gazed sternly at him as he pouted at her; a look only Naruto could get away with at his age, "What the hell do you think you're doing brat?"

His uninjured hand fell to his side and the plastic bag he had been holding landed on the floor with a soft thud, "What are you talking about? I need to ask you a question!"

The Hokage sighed irritably, "You know that you are supposed to be taking it easy yet you insist on pushing yourself. If you weren't already injured I would have tossed you through the wall."

Naruto gulped audibly, then squared his shoulders and frowned, "But I've hardly done anything!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh, well Izumo and Kotetsu were here not long ago."

The young man eyed her warily, "okay...so?"

"They were bringing some paper work to me and they asked about your health. It seems they saw you jumping across rooftops and walking on walls."

Naruto stared up at the formidable woman who was watching him with her hands on her hips, "Well?"

He sighed and slumped a bit in the Hokage's seat, "Baa-chan what's the big deal? It's not like I could use my arm for anything even if I wanted to. I won't make it worse. Besides, I probably wouldn't even be out of bed if you hadn't sent for me!"

Tsunade flicked him in the forehead with her free hand, "The big deal is I told you not to do things like that and you're not listening to me. I shouldn't have to explain myself to you brat."

She sighed and ruffled his hair, "I'll spell it out for you, but you'd better do as I say this time. You have to take it easy because any sort of strain on your arm could make it worse, even do permanent damage. You don't have to be using your arm to make it worse, it is connected to the rest of you, you know. Am I clear?"

Naruto slid from the chair and Tsunade allowed him to duck under her arm, "Fine, fine, but it takes forever to get anywhere just walking."

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose between two fingers, "That's the way most people get around everyday. You can bear with it for a couple of weeks."

The young shinobi feigned a pout, then shrugged and retrieved his bag, "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I need some help." he looked up at her and she gestured for him to continue, "I said something stupid and made Ino-chan mad. I went to get some advice from Iruka-sensei then went back to her place, but she wasn't there. I was wondering if you had any idea where she would go."

The Hokage closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers, "This is ridiculous, teenagers always have to make things so complicated."

Naruto tilted his head at her, "Huh?"

She pointed to something over his shoulder and he obediently turned to look behind him.

He nearly dropped his bag of groceries again as he turned to see Ino watching him with a pained expression, "Ino-chan!" he took a step closer to her, but stopped when he saw her lower lip start to quiver.

She took a deep shuddering breath and bit her lip, willing herself to remain calm, "Naruto..I-"

He cut her off as he stepped closer to her; ice blue met sapphire as he stared earnestly into her eyes, "Ino-chan, I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to make you sad." he smiled softly at her, "I still want to help if you'll let me."

Ino sighed, "You aren't mad at all?"

Naruto frowned, "Huh? Mad about what?"

She reached up and traced the still-developing bruise on his cheek with the tip of her finger, "It wasn't fair of me, you didn't deserve to be treated like that," she laughed ruefully, "Damn, I'm starting to act like Sakura, abusing nice guys for no reason."

Naruto grinned, "Aww you're worried about this? C'mon this is nothing, don't worry about it Ino-chan."

Ino managed a small smile, "I guess not when you get hurt as often as you do."

Tsunade cleared her throat, halting further conversation, "Alright you two, I'm pleased to see that the two of you are working things out, but I do have work to get done today, so you'll have to finish this elsewhere."

Naruto smiled sheepishly at the older blond, "Sorry about that Baa-chan, we'll take off," he turned to Ino, "Will you come with me?"

Her eyes flickered towards their Hokage, who nodded and waved impatiently towards the door; she turned back to the taller shinobi and reached for the bag that hung loosely from Naruto's fingertips.

He looked down as her cool fingers brushed against his own, "What are you doing?" he looked at her, confused, but he didn't resist as she took the bag from him.

"You're injured, I can at least carry this for you." he started to respond as he stepped ahead of her to open the door, but she held up one finger to silence any protests, "I know what you're going to say, but I've got it okay?"

Naruto smiled as he closed the door behind them, "Yeah, yeah. I get it, but really you don't need to worry about me."

He shoved his good hand into his pocket, then leaned back against the wall and regarded her seriously, "Ino-chan..." she paused mid-stride and looked back at him, "I know what you said in front of Baa-chan, but if you're still mad at me I understand."

She stared at him for a moment, not really comprehending what he was saying, 'He still thinks I'm angry with him? But, why?' she frowned as she thought, and she watched his eyes darken as he turned to gaze along the empty corridor.

'He actually feels like he did something wrong, he's blaming himself.' the revelation startled her; her expression softened as she watched him, 'Sakura is so lucky, I didn't think anyone could be this selfless, this forgiving, this....'

"Naruto." he looked back at her, confusion in his eyes, "You said you wanted to take me somewhere?"

His eyes lit up and he grinned at her, "That's right! I almost forgot all about it." he chuckled, "What do you say Ino-chan? Will you give me a chance?"

Ino bit her lip, 'He's trying so hard. I really can't say no..."

She smiled at him, "Sure, you spent so much time looking for me I guess I-"

Naruto cut her off as he dashed to her side and grabbed her free hand, "That's great Ino-chan. I think this'll help you deal with your feelings!"

She stumbled after him as he took off at a run, pulling her along behind him, "Naruto!"

He pulled her towards an open window and jumped through, still towing the other blond along; they landed on a nearby roof top and he took off at a run.

This time Ino was prepared and she kept pace with him as he sprinted across the roof and jumped to the next building.

She tugged at his hand to get his attention, "Naruto!"

He looked at her over his shoulder as he recklessly launched himself into the air, "Yeah?"

Ino frowned at him, "Don't you listen to Tsunade-sama at all? She just told you not to push yourself!"

Naruto grinned at her, "Aww c'mon, she won't know unless we tell her. Besides , it'll take us almost two hours if we walk, but we can be there in twenty minutes if we run like this."

She pulled her hand from his and slid to a halt as her feet hit solid ground once more; Naruto stopped in his tracks and sighed. "I'm fine Ino-chan really! I don't want to walk the whole way, it'll take too long."

Ino crossed her arms, "Either we walk or I'm not going. I'm not letting you disobey Godaime, especially since she's right, don't forget I'm studying as a medic too."

Naruto slouched as he whined at her, "But Ino-chan..."

"No"

He sighed dramatically, "Fine you win."

She managed a half hearted smile, "Good" she walked to his side and put one arm across his shoulders and gently led him to the edge of the building they were on, "It would make me look bad if you were with me and I let you hurt yourself further."

Ino looked out over the city as they jumped back down to street level, 'Chouji's house is over there... I wonder how he's doing?'

AN: Okay, I know that Jiraiya wasn't anywhere near Konoha at this point in the Naruto time-line, but I really couldn't help it. I miss him T-T

I always really liked Ero-sennin and I felt like giving him a little love. I really love his relationship with Naruto, they're both really open with each other, Naruto admits when he's hurting to Jiraiya when with anyone else he would just say he was fine. For his part Jiraiya tells Naruto about his dreams and his life. It's a really sweet relationship ^_^

I'm such a dork though, I depressed myself with the part where Jiraiya walked away....

As for the current Naruto universe: those of you who are up to date will understand what I'm saying here. Yeah KICK his ASS Naruto!!! Kakashi-sensei T-T sniff**~ . **Ewwww Nagato is way gross.... oh and Sasuke is gonna be pissed because Pein totally stole his thunder hehehe. Sorry for the really long note, but I had a lot of stuff in my head when I finished writing this chapter. I'll try to get the next one up waaay quicker than I did with this one. Take care all.


End file.
